I hope to bump this thread in 3-4 years and point out some of the things people are saying about Eberle. He is having an off year, but it is ridiculous to think that he has already peaked. This thread is a classic example of what have you done for me lately. 6 months ago some thought Gagner was at best a 50 pt guy and at worst a bust. Look at where he is now. Eberle simply isn't going to be the player he is at this precise moment for the next decade. We also have no idea how much his finger or other injuries are bothering him. I know it's the AHL, but he was the best player in that league when the competition was much better than normal and scored at a ridiculous pace. Show some patience, he is in a rut and he will get out of it.

Eberle's like 8 months younger than Gagner - obviously this isn't how well he'll be for the rest of his career, but I think we've seen him peak with that 74 points last year.

Sometimes players peak early - look at Hemsky. He put up 77 points as a 22 year old and never reached that plateau again.

Once teams figure out to stop a player, it makes it incredibly hard for them to put up the same numbers. That's why the greatest players - like Crosby, Datsyuk, Malkin - have such dynamic packages that there is no one way to stop them.

For Hemsky, it was about taking the body and not worrying about the shot.

For Eberle, it's taking away space and playing the body.

These players are extremely talented, but have only so many ways of being productive on the ice. Once it's taken away, they kind of slip into obscurity.

Ebs will be a 65-70 point threat for the rest of his career - but I don't see him as more than that.

But I also see him as someone who's production will forever be tied to who he's playing with. If Nuge bounces back with a big season next year, it's inevitably going to result in more points for Eberle. I don't think you can build a line around Eberle, but you can around guys like Hall and RNH. He's the perfect complement for guys like that. Like Prospal was for Lecavalier/St.Louis/Richards.